Morning Habits of Great Coaches

I’m sure I’m not blowing your mind when I say that morning is that most important time of the day for anyone who wants to be successful. You know it, and so does everyone else.

It is true. Whether you’re a coach, running a business or someone looking to work up the corporate ladder, your morning habits can make all the difference to your success.

I’m sure you’re saying, “But how can inculcating a few habits into my morning routine help me get to the top?”

You’re right. It isn’t about the habits themselves. It’s more about what they represent and the frame of mind they put you in as soon as you wake up. While habits like yoga, putting time aside for introspection or even making your own breakfast every day might not sound life-changing by themselves, together, they can totally transform the way you look at each and every day.

That’s why for people who want to be successful, especially coaches like you, the importance of starting your day right cannot be stressed enough. And I speak from experience.

Ever since I incorporated a few new habits into my morning routine, I feel like I have more control. Just knowing what my day looks like puts me in the zone to actually tackle it in a non-reactive way, which in turn reduces anxiety and ensures that I’m more productive through the day.

Another great reason to have a morning routine is that it’ll help you avoid mental fatigue as you go through the rest of the day. As people, we all have only so much energy and willpower that we wake up with each morning. It is a finite resource.

And with every decision you make – big or small – it takes an away a little bit of the energy you have. Especially if you’re making a hundred of them as soon as you wake up, even if they are completely inconsequential.

A great morning routine can help change that. If your first hour varies as little as possible, you can almost run on autopilot, leaving you with more mental space to think and plan the rest of your day.

Let me see if I can explain it better.

Think of your mind as a room. When you wake up in the morning, a hundred thoughts will circle through your mind, cluttering up space. With a firmly established morning routine, you will be able to break through this clutter and arrange your thoughts in a clear and organized manner, setting the tone for the rest of the day.

And needless to say, a clear and organized mind is the most important attribute to success.

Are you with me till now?

Great!

So the next question I’m sure you have is, “Where do I start?”

Well, that’s easy. Just continue reading this article. By the time you’re done with it, I hope to have inspired you to come up with your own effective morning routine, while also giving you an idea as to how you can incorporate this new routine into your lives with minimum fuss.

Are you ready to get started? I’m sure you are.

So let us dive in!

Why is a morning routine important for a coach?

Most people are the most productive when they wake up. Just ask health experts or the many successful entrepreneurs and influencers all over the world who swear by how effective they are in the morning.

This means there are many benefits to creating a routine to follow as soon as you wake up. And to fully invest yourself into creating a morning routine for yourself, I believe it is important to know what they are before you get started.

That’s why I’ve listed a few facts relevant to you as a coach looking to grow and be successful where a morning routine can help. These will allow you to better understand how a great morning routine can transform the way you see the rest of your day, putting you on the direct path to success.

1. Discipline

The most important benefit of inculcating a morning routine is improved self-discipline. Following the same routine every day as soon as you wake up plays an important role in establishing the foundation for a productive day.

And by reinforcing this act of discipline as you start your day, every day, you will find yourself being more disciplined in every other way of life – from your health and diet to work and even your thoughts.

2. Time management

In the world that we live in today, time is our most valuable asset. However, needless to say, an accurate measurement of its value actually depends on the use it is put into.

And one practical advantage of having a daily morning routine is the availability of extra time, valuable time, that you can put to use to grow yourself and your business. Even an additional hour or two in the morning, which can also be the most stimulating time as I mentioned, allows you to give more attention and focus into work that you otherwise might not have been able to.

3. Mental Fortitude

Let me start by saying that waking up in the morning is not easy. Anyone who has had to wake up before the crack of dawn to go picks up a relative at the airport can vouch for it.

But then again, no habit you want to inculcate in your life is going to be easy. Because breaking away from what we’re used to and comfortable with is the hardest thing to do.

However, by forcing yourself down the path of discipline and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, you will actively seek difficult and different environments and actions. This will better prepare you, and your mind, to handle any unexpected situation that may emerge at a further point in your life.

4. Stress

Today, stress seems to what anyone can talk about. Stress from work, stress from finances, stress from home. It is almost like life has become about moving from one stress point to another, without any break to sit back and relax in between.

Believe it or not, a lot of it is easily avoidable if only you had a better start to your day. Just think back at the number of times you’ve had to rush out the door last month, feeling completely ill-prepared to take on your day.

By waking up to a morning that is planned, you can take your time to envision the rest of your day. This allows you to stroll out of your door, anxiety-free, ready to grab the day by the scruff of its neck.

Great morning habits for coaches

As a coach, any coach, if you’re not continuously growing, then you’re declining. Because if you want to be the best at what you do and offer, you can’t afford to stand still or stay the same at all.

And there is no way around it. To be a successful coach, you need actively improve not just your coaching skills, but also your own mindset, every single day. If you’re new to coaching, this may sound intimidating. But don’t worry. It really isn’t as complicated or as overwhelming as it seems.

Just focus on the basics, and with the right foundation, you can get started on the road that will take you on your way to becoming one of the best coaches around.

But what are these basics? The right habits, of course.

With the right habits, you can’t help but put yourself in the mind frame to propel yourself to the top of your game, taking you to your goal of becoming a world-class coach.

So what are these habits that can make all the difference?

I’m glad you asked.

1. Put YOU first

I actually had a debate with myself about what I should start this list with. After thinking about quite a bit, I came to the conclusion that this is actually the most important habit you can inculcate as a coach.

Because as a coach, you’re only as strong as your body and mind. If you spend most of your time in bed with the flu, a headache or any other illness, who will help your clients? And if your mind, your home or your personal life is constantly in the state of chaos, how can you even focus on transforming the lives of the people who come to you?

That’s why, the number 1 habit I want you to inculcate is to prioritize personal time to take care of yourself. This is the time you can use to make sure you are in top shape, physically, mentally and emotionally, and stay connected with those who matter.

After all, your success as a coach depends on how well you manage your own life first, and your clients’ second.

2. Dream small

Yes, you heard me right. I’m telling you to dream small. And before you decide to click away from this article, let me explain.

Over the years, I’ve seen many coaches with great potential who failed to reach the top because of one simple thing – they set their goals to high. This because when you set enormous goals for yourself, it is very easy to get overwhelmed before you even take a first step towards it.

Goals that are too big can seem to be out of reach, especially if you’ve been struggling to achieve them. But does that mean you should set your sights lower and never dream big at all?

Absolutely not.

What I suggest is that you break down your huge goals into smaller, more achievable ones. For example, if you want to move your business out of your home into a new office, break it down into actionable, easier steps.

So instead of focussing on growing your business to move right away, you can start with something smaller like setting a target for the number of clients you want add to your portfolio. Whatever you select, make sure they are attainable goals that you can reach so you don’t end up feeling discouraged.

All you need to ensure is that these smaller goals stack up to get you closer to your overarching big goals, and you will get there before you it, minus any overwhelming feeling it may have caused.

3. Wake up early

People have been preaching the benefits of waking up early since time immemorial. We all remember the story of the early bird and how it caught the worm. It might sound over-simplistic, but let me assure you that once you start waking up early, you will see how true it actually is.

To become an extraordinary coach, it is important that you understand the value of every minute. And when you wake up early, you start your day with a lot more time in hand, allowing you to foresee and plan your day better.

So instead of crawling out of bed, gobbling down some breakfast and then rushing to start your day, you can actually stroll through your morning and get ready to face your day calm and confident.

Here’s a tip on how you can get into the habit of waking up early, and it is a no-brainer – just focus on the time you go to sleep. Waking up feeling exhausted is one of the main reasons why people can’t sustain the habit of getting up early.

But by setting an alarm for the evening so you know when to wind down for the day, you give yourself enough time to settle in for the night. This allows you to wake up pumped and energized the next morning.

4. Stop comparing

Before I start, I am aware that this is more about stopping an existing habit rather than starting a new one, but I feel it is still as important as the rest of the points on this list.

So stop comparing yourself to other people, other coaches. Stop comparing how many clients they have, how much money they make. Instead, focus on what you are doing with your own life and business.

The only thing you will achieve by comparing yourself to others is added grief. If you’re comparing yourself to someone less successful than you, it can give you a false sense of accomplishment and then you will stop growing and striving for more.

And if you compare yourself with someone more successful, needless to say you will feel deflated and may even lose the motivation you have to achieve your goals.

Even if you don’t fall in either of these categories, the act of comparing yourself to another in itself is a complete waste of time. By looking at what someone else is doing, you take focus off your own taks, skills and objectives that will further your coaching business.

It is important to remember that you are on a path to success that is unique to you. And the only way to create your own success story is to do it your own way.

5. Read, read and read some more

Do you read? How much do you read? 3 books a year? I’m sorry, but that is not going to be enough. If you want to be a great coach, you need to inculcate a habit of reading. A lot.

I’m sure you attend countless seminars, both online and live, or programs that will guide you to success. But you can’t attend one every day, can you?

To be a successful coach, you need to constantly grow and improve. And let me tell you, there is no faster or better way to do so than read voraciously.

But remember, you need to be selective about the types of books you read as well. Reading 10 books a month isn’t going to serve your purpose if all you’re reading is westerns from the gas station.

No matter what you read, make sure it helps you grow personally, professionally, or both. Every book you read should help you develop skills that will take you a step closer to becoming a successful coach.

6. Plans are your best friends

Do you enjoy unpredictability and the joy of flying by the seat of your pants? I’m sorry to say this, but if you do, you need to find some other area in your life that allows you to indulge your impulsive side.

Successful coaches thrive on being organized and planning carefully. Impulsiveness has no part in the life of a coach. Because by planning your days, weeks and months ahead of time, you stay on track and be be better prepared for what’s to come. Without planning, you will be blind to your progress and will never know where you stand in relation to your goals.

And it’s not even missing your goals. Sometimes, you may achieve or even surpass your goals without realizing you’ve achieved them. But how can you become a better coach when you are still focussing on milestones you have already reached?

If you’re not much of a planner, I suggest you start today. And start small if you like. Create a financial plan and a business plan for the month. Then break them down into smaller daily and weekly tasks. That’s it. You now have a plan for the rest of your month and you will be able to see the difference this will make to your life almost immediately.

7. Feed your curiosity

For children, the world is a place filled with wondrous and amazing things. Everything is interesting, new and exciting. Every object an opportunity for new stories.

But as we grow older, we shed that aspect of ourselves for a more pragmatic and realistic approach to life. I’m here to tell you that the child you, the curious you; they are the ones with the right approach to life, and business.

A curious mind means an open mind. And the more you are open to experiences, ideas the easier solutions are to even the most complex of problems.

A great coach is always questioning the norms, the beliefs already in place. And that’s absolutely impossible if you’re not curious about what else could be.

By always questioning, you will always be learning. And that is crucial for success, both as a coach and in your personal life.

8. Hunt for ideas

Let me ask you, where do great ideas come from? If you’re like most people, I’m sure you have a confused look on your face.

“What does he mean by where do great ideas come from? You just think them, don’t you?”

That’s where you’re wrong. Great ideas don’t come from within, they come from everything that’s around you. And how good you are at finding these ideas is what will set you apart from every other “good” coach.

If you want to be a great coach, it is critical that you are open to finding ideas to implement into your coaching sessions or programs at the most random of places. Be it an overheard conversation in the coffee shop, a dialogue in a TV show or even the back of your cereal box. Great ideas await at every corner. All you need to do is look for them.

But how do you know if an idea is great? It’s easy. Just look for these traits that are common with all great ideas.

It is actionable.

It creates excitement or curiosity.

It aligns with your goals

If you think you’ve got an idea that hits all three, then you can be sure it has the potential to be a great idea. Then the next thing is to incorporate it into your life or coaching business, and before you know it, you’re on your way to success.

Are you ready to transition from good to a great coach?

If you inculcate even a few of the habits we spoke about into your daily life, you definitely will be.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Sai Blackbyrn

He is a multiple-time #1 bestselling author and regularly writes for Forbes. Over time he has gathered a pretty big following in the personal development space - close to 6 million followers on Facebook, co-owning the 3rd largest business meetup group and managing LinkedIn pages with over 200,000 members consisting of coaches, authors and speakers. He is the CEO of .Coach, which specialises in establishing coaches online.